Postgraduate Research

We offer 2 programmes within the department, a 3-year and 4-year programme. Our programmes are funded from many sources including the Research Councils (EPSRC, BBRSC, NERC and MRC), Charities, the European Community, US Government sources and industry in the UK, Europe and the USA.

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PhD Chemistry

The Chemistry PhD programme is focused on a major piece of original research. You will study under the direct supervision of a member of staff, who is an expert in his or her area of specialisation. The department offers a broad range of research themes across physical, organic, inorganic and computational chemistry, specific departmental strengths are listed under research areas below.

Read more on the Chemistry PhD programme

A 4-year PhD studentship in Functional Devices from 2D Borophene Oxide (D/L: 8/3/2023)

Supervisors: Dr Adam Clancy (UCL) & Prof Camille Petit (Imperial)
Application deadline: 8th March 2023
Interview date: 22nd March 2023
Start date: 1st October 2023

UCL Chemistry Department is offering a fully funded studentship to a highly motivated candidate to start in October 2023. The student will carry out their doctoral research primarily at UCL, in collaboration with Imperial College London.

Most 2D materials are notoriously difficult to create, requiring large shear forces to be applied to stacks of the materials to exfoliate to one layer in solution. One very recent exception is the 2019 discovery of so-called 2D borophene oxide (2D BO), which dissolves as monolayers spontaneously in solvents. The layered parent material is synthesised from simple oxidation and evaporation of potassium borohydride solution, forming long needle-like crystals of 2D covalent B2O3 layers, separated by layers of potassium ions. The individual 2D BO is electrically conductive and is thought to contain Lewis acid-base sites, opening the route to applications from transparent conductors for phone screens, to gas sensors, to heterogeneous catalysis. Given the cutting-edge nature of 2D-BO, it is virtually unexplored, providing a great opportunity for discovery. In this project, the student will study and improve the synthesis of 2D BO, and aim to integrate it into the first generation of useful devices. Firstly, we will control its properties through controlled synthesis (e.g. doping) and developing organo-functionalisation reactions, and secondly through controlled assembly into porous architectures for high-efficiency catalysis/gas sensing. The project will be undertaken at UCL Chemistry (Dr Clancy) and Imperial College London, Department of Chemical Engineering (Prof Camille Petit).

The applicants should have, or be expecting to achieve, a first or upper-second-class Honours degree or equivalent in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials, Physics, or a related subject.

Interested candidates should initially contact the supervisor, Dr Adam Clancy, with a degree transcript and a motivation letter expressing interest in these projects. Informal inquiries are encouraged. Please note that a suitable applicant will be required to complete MS Form entitled Application for Research: degree Chemistry programme. In addition, it is essential that suitable applicants complete an electronic application form at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/apply (please select Research degree: Chemistry programme) prior to the application deadline and advise their referees to submit their references as soon as they possibly can. All shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview no more than 4 weeks after the application deadline. Any admissions queries should be directed to Dr Jadranka Butorac and Rhianna Betts at doctoral.chem@ucl.ac.uk.

Applications are welcome from UK nationals, EU students with settled/pre-settled status and students with indefinite leave to remain or enter. Please note that the studentship only covers home fees. The updated rules for eligibility for home fees for next year are available on View Website.

EPSRC DTP funded studentships in the Chemistry department (D/L: 26/01/2023) (D/L: 26/1/2023)

The UCL EPSRC DTP (Doctoral Training Partnership) has 10 fully-funded four-year studentships in Chemistry available for 2023/24. Studentships are open to both Home and International fee-status students, however EPSRC caps the number of International students. Studentships are expected to start on 25-Sep-2023 unless exceptional circumstances require an alternate start date.All the available projects in the Chemistry department are listed at https://ucl-epsrc-dtp.github.io/2023-24-project-catalogue/departments/chemistry.html.

The link to the application page is at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/epsrc-doctoral-training/prospective-students/apply-ucl-epsrc-dtp-studentship

An application to the UCL EPSRC DTP consists of 3 parts:

Part A: Complete once. This must be submitted before parts B and C can be completed.
Part B: Complete once. This must be submitted by 12:00 on 26-Jan-2023.
Part C: Complete for each project you are applying to. You can apply to a maximum of 5 projects. This must be submitted by 12:00 on 26-Jan-2023

A 3-year PhD studentship in solid-state electrolytes for next generation batteries (D/L: 30/01/2023)

Supervisor: Dr Yang Xu
Application deadline: Jan. 30th, 2023
Interview date: Within 2 weeks after application deadline
Start date: Sept. 25, 2023

UCL Chemistry Department is offering a fully funded studentship to a highly motivated candidate to start on Sept. 25, 2023. The student will carry out his/her doctoral research at UCL.

Next-generation batteries will feature (i) low cost by using earth-abundant elements such as sodium, (ii) high energy density via a metallic sodium anode, and (iii) improved safety by replacing conventional flammable liquid electrolytes with solid-state electrolytes. This fully funded 3-year studentship will develop new low-crystalline solid electrolytes for solid-state sodium batteries. The solid electrolytes will be fabricated using low-cost solution-based processes that are compatible for large-scale manufacture and be used to direct sodium metal deposition and stripping. The post holder will be required to carry out experimental investigations to reveal the processing-structure-property relationships of the solid electrolytes through electrochemical tests and characterisation methods such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray scattering, X-ray computed tomography, atomic force microscopy, and other advanced techniques. The post holder will closely collaborate with the Electrochemical Innovation Lab in UCL Chemical Engineering and work with a broader team outside of UCL. The developed solid electrolytes are expected to be applied to another emerging battery chemistry: solid-state potassium metal batteries.

The applicants should have, or be expecting to achieve, a first or upper-second-class Honours degree or equivalent in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Sciences, or a related subject.

Interested candidates should initially contact the supervisor Dr Yang Xu with a degree transcript and a motivation letter expressing interest in these projects. Informal inquiries are encouraged and please contact y.xu.1@ucl.ac.uk. Please note that a suitable applicant will be required to complete MS Form entitled Application for Research: degree Chemistry programme. In addition, it is essential that suitable applicants complete an electronic application form at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/apply (please select Research degree: Chemistry programme) prior to the application deadline and advise their referees to submit their references as soon as they possibly can. All shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview no more than 4 weeks after the application deadline. Any admissions queries should be directed to Dr Jadranka Butorac and Rhianna Betts at doctoral.chem@ucl.ac.uk.

Applications are welcome from UK nationals, EU students with settled/pre-settled status and students with indefinite leave to remain or enter. Please note that the studentship only covers home fees. The updated eligibility rules for next year's home fees are available on View Website.

A 3-year PhD studentship in Nanophosphorus Chemistry (D/L: 14/02/2023)

Supervisor: Dr Adam Clancy
Application deadline: 31st January 2023
Interview date: 14th February 2023
Start date: October 2023

UCL Chemistry Department is offering a fully funded studentship to a highly motivated candidate to start in October 2023. The student will carry out his/her doctoral research at UCL.

Phosphorene nanoribbons (PNRs) are newly discovered allotropes of phosphorus with atomic thicknesses, sub-100 nm widths, and lengths up to hundreds of micrometers long. Their unusual shape and chemistries lead to a wide range of unique phenomena with applications ranging from solar cells to transistors to batteries. To exploit the properties of PNRs and bridge the gap between laboratory and real-world applications, it is necessary to control their properties. In this project, the student will be developing organofunctinoalisation reactions to manipulate the optical and electronic properties of PNRs and provide a chemical toolkit to apply them to a range of next-generation energy devices.

The applicants should have or be expecting to achieve, a first or upper-second-class Honours degree or equivalent in chemistry.

Applications are welcome from UK nationals, EU students with settled/pre-settled status and students with indefinite leave to remain or enter. Please note that the studentship only covers home fees. The updated eligibility rules for next year's home fees are available at View Website.

A 3-year PhD studentship in Nanomaterial-Solvent Interactions (D/L: 14/02/2023)

Supervisor: Dr Adam Clancy
Application deadline: 31st January 2023
Interview date: 14th February 2023
Start date: October 2023

UCL Chemistry Department is offering a fully funded studentship to a highly motivated candidate to start in October 2023. The student will carry out his/her doctoral research at UCL.

Liquid molecules adjacent to a solid surface arrange differently to the molecules in the middle of a liquid and are different again when we put an electrical charge on the solid surface. How they reshuffle is important for understanding how a wide range of real-world systems behaves, from batteries to paint. We have a good idea of how the molecules arrange when you have a large, flat surface, but the behaviours are known to change as the surface gets smaller, towards the size of the liquid molecules themselves. At the extreme case is nanomaterials which have widths comparable to the liquid molecules themselves. In this project we will be using neutron scattering to experimentally study the position and movement of the solvent molecules at the surface of nanomaterials to understand why they are stable in liquids, and how these surfaces behave differently from the infinitely large model systems. The information we gain will be critical in improving many next-generation applications from energy storage to drug-delivery.

The applicants should have or be expecting to achieve, a first or upper-second-class Honours degree or equivalent in chemistry or physics.

A 3-year PhD studentship in catalytic non-oxidative conversion of methane to hydrogen, chemicals and high-purity carbons (D/L: 20/02/2023)

Supervisor: Prof. Andrew M. Beale
Application deadline: 20/2/2023
Interview date: 26/2/2023
Start date: 1/4/2023

The UCL Chemistry Department is offering a fully funded studentship to a highly motivated candidate to start in 1/4/2023. The student will carry out his/her doctoral research at the Research Complex at Harwell, Didcot, Oxfordshire.

This PhD will focus on providing underpinning catalyst characterization for innovative structured catalysts and catalytic reactors heated through renewable electricity, to convert fossil and renewable CH4 into CO2-free H2. The project will make specific use of in situ & operando X-ray characterization techniques and the development of Machine Learning (ML) approaches to aid in the interpretation of the resultant data. The project will perform initial characterisation of catalyst formulations on a small scale i.e. (~ 10s mg) characterising carbonaceous species and the identification of active sites at operating conditions using combined XAFS/XRD before eventually moving onto the study the real structured catalysts/reactors & 3D catalysts and their characterisation using in situ and “quasi in situ” advanced chemical imaging (computed tomography) modalities (i.e. XRD, PDF, XRF-CT). Existing ML algorithms will then be adapted to analyse the large volumes of data collected by in situ/operando spectroscopy/scattering measurements, particularly hyperspectral imaging data. These ML algorithms have already been demonstrated in supervised form, for phase quantification of diffraction data and will be adapted further to: a) evaluate deviations (i.e. new phases) using outlier analysis or unsupervised methods from diffraction training datasets; b) provide similar quantitative information of spectroscopic data (XAS, IR and Raman) and c) provide ‘super resolution’ capability by training ML methods using high spatial resolution data collected before and after experiment, to extract chemical speciation information from lower resolution, time-resolved images, thereby enabling techniques such as 5D imaging of reactor beds with a time resolution of minutes (instead of hours). The capacity to process and extract valuable insight in a single operando experiment more quickly (i.e. months not years) will provide insight underpinning the catalyst and reactor development via a feedback loop.

The applicants should have, or be expecting to achieve, a first or upper second-class Honours degree or equivalent in the subjects Chemistry, Physics or Chemical Engineering.

Interested candidates should initially contact the supervisor, Prof. Andrew M. Beale, with a degree transcript and a motivation letter expressing interest in these projects. Informal inquiries are encouraged. Please note that a suitable applicant will be required to complete MS Form entitled Application for Research: degree Chemistry programme. In addition, it is essential that suitable applicants complete an electronic application form at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/apply (please select Research degree: Chemistry programme) prior to the application deadline and advise their referees to submit their references as soon as they possibly can. All shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview no more than 4 weeks after the application deadline. Any admissions queries should be directed to Dr Jadranka Butorac and Rhianna Betts at doctoral.chem@ucl.ac.uk.

A 3-Year PhD Studentship in Supramolecular Upconversion of van der Waals Interaction Energy (D/L:15/04/2023)

Supervisors: Dr. Tung Chun Lee (UCL), Dr. Qiang Zhu (IMRE, A*STAR, Singapore)
Application deadline: 15/04/2023
Interview date: TBC (2 to 4 weeks after the application close date)
Start date: 25 September 2023
Location: London (1.5 years), Singapore (2 years)
Subject areas: Supramolecular chemistry, host-guest complexes, catalysis, organic synthesis, chemical reaction mechanism, energy conversion, high-throughput screening, molecular modelling

The Studentship
This position is fully funded by the UCL-A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore) Collaborative Programme via the Centre for Doctoral Training in Molecular Modelling and Materials Science (M3S CDT) at UCL. The student will be registered for a PhD at UCL where he/she will spend year one followed by second and third years of the PhD at Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) of A*STAR in Singapore, then return to UCL for the final six months to write up the thesis. If successful, the PhD will be awarded from UCL. The studentship will cover tuition fees at the home rate, and an annual stipend of no less than £19668 increasingly annually with inflation (tax free) pro rata in years 1 and 4. During years 2 and 3, the student will receive a stipend of S$2700 per month directly from A*STAR. In addition, A*STAR will provide the student a one-off relocation allowance.

The Project
Harvesting energy from van der Waals (vdW) interactions, e.g. hydrogen bonding, and other intermolecular effects, e.g. hydrophobic effects, to produce energy-rich molecules is of fundamental interests, due to the universal nature of such interactions. Nevertheless, achieving this type of energy upconversion can be a daunting task because vdW forces are 10–100 times weaker than a chemical bond. An effective approach to minimise energy mismatch and thus to enhance energy conversion efficiency is (1) to identify a molecular system that exhibits strong vdW interactions and (2) to couple it to chemical reactions with a small change in free energy ΔG.

This PhD project aims to develop novel experimental approaches of supramolecular upconversion of vdW interaction energy, which will synergise with other experimental and modelling effort led by the Lee group. In particular, efficient energy conversion will be achieved by designing molecular structures of reactive guests via simultaneously optimising their host-guest binding affinity and reaction thermodynamics. Success of the project will open new possibilities in systems chemistry and may even allow us to construct dissipative systems far from thermodynamic equilibrium. It will also have implications on energy harvesting in nanosystems and nanodevices where means of power supply remain limited.

Please visit our websites for more details about our research:
http://tungchunlee.weebly.com/
https://www.a-star.edu.sg/imre/research-departments/advanced-characterization-and-instrumentation

The Candidate
The applicants should have, or be expecting to achieve, a first or upper second-class integrated Masters degree (MSci, MChem, MEng etc.) or a 2:1 minimum BSc plus a stand-alone Masters degree with at least a Merit in Chemistry, Physics, Materials Science, or a related discipline. The successful applicant will demonstrate strong interest and self-motivation in the subject, good experimental practice and the ability to think analytically and creatively. Good computer skills, plus good presentation and writing skills in English, are required. Previous research experience in contributing to a collaborative interdisciplinary research environment is highly desirable but not necessary as training will be provided.

Interested candidates should initially contact Dr. Tung Chun Lee (tungchun.lee@ucl.ac.uk) with a CV, a degree transcript and a motivation letter expressing interest in the project. Informal inquiries are encouraged.

Please note that a suitable applicant will first be required to complete MS Form entitled Application for Research: degree Chemistry programme. In addition, it is essential that suitable applicants complete an electronic application form at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/research-degrees/chemistry-mphil-phd (Select Research degree: Chemistry programme) prior to the application deadline and advise their referees to submit their references as soon as they possibly can. All shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview no more than 4 weeks after the application deadline. Any admissions queries should be directed to Dr. Zhimei Du via z.du@ucl.ac.uk

A 3-Year PhD Studentship in Electronic Structure & Degradation of Hybrid Perovskites (D/L:15/04/2023)

Supervisors: Prof. Geoff Thornton (UCL), Dr. PAN Jisheng (IMRE, A*STAR, Singapore)
Application deadline: 15/04/2023
Interview date: 08/05/2023
Start date: 25 September 2023
Location: London (1.5 years), Singapore (2 years)
Subject areas: Photovoltaics, Thin-film hybrid perovskites, Angle-resolved photoemission

The Studentship

This position is fully funded by the UCL-A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore) Collaborative Programme via the Centre for Doctoral Training in Molecular Modelling and Materials Science (M3S CDT) at UCL. The student will be registered for a PhD at UCL where he/she will spend year one followed by second and third years of the PhD at Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) of A*STAR in Singapore, then return to UCL for the final six months to write up the thesis. If successful, the PhD will be awarded from UCL. The studentship will cover tuition fees at the home rate, and an annual stipend of no less than £19668 increasingly annually with inflation (tax free) pro rata in years 1 and 4. During years 2 and 3, the student will receive a stipend of S$2700 per month directly from A*STAR. In addition, A*STAR will provide the student a one-off relocation allowance.

The project
Over the past few years a dramatic rise in photovoltaic efficiency (>20%) has been achieved by replacing dye molecules with hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites such as CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPI). Hybrid perovskites are characterised by high carrier lifetimes and a high tolerance of defects, but there is an incomplete understanding of this behaviour. The primary aim of this project is to measure the electronic structure of a single crystalline thin film of MAPI using angle resolved photoemission. This will be carried out at A*Star after the optimum growth method of the film has been identified at UCL. This will involve growth in ultrahigh vacuum using scanning tunnelling microscopy to identify the structure at the atomic level. The secondary aim of the project is associated with the degradation of MAPI by water vapour. A possible route to chemical stabilisation is to use the carrier collector as a passivating layer. For instance TiO2 is chemically inert, and recent calculations predict a promising matched interface with MAPI3. These studies will be pursued at A*Star with XPS, UPS and scanning probe measurements.

The candidate
The applicants should have, or be expecting to achieve, a first or upper second-class integrated masters degree (MSci, MChem, etc.) or 2:1 minimum BSc plus stand-alone Masters degree with at least a Merit in Physics, Chemistry or materials science. The successful applicant will demonstrate strong interest and self-motivation in the subject, good experimental practice and the ability to think analytically and creatively. Good instrumental skills, plus good presentation and writing skills in English, are required. Previous research experience in contributing to a collaborative interdisciplinary research environment is highly desirable but not necessary as training will be provided.

Interested candidates should initially contact the supervisors (Prof Thornton (g.thornton@ucl.ac.uk) or Dr PAN Jisheng (js-pan@imre.a-star.edu.sg) with a degree transcript and a motivation letter expressing interest in the project. Informal inquiries are encouraged. Please note that a suitable applicant will first be required to complete MS Form entitled Application for Research: degree Chemistry programme. In addition, it is essential that suitable applicants complete an electronic application form at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/research-degrees/chemistry-mphil-phd (please select Research degree: Chemistry programme) prior to the application deadline and advise their referees to submit their references as soon as they possibly can. All shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview no more than 4 weeks after the application deadline. Any admissions queries should be directed to Dr Zhimei Du via z.du@ucl.ac.uk

A 3-year PhD studentship in Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet Assisted Synthesis of Soft Materials(D/L:15/04/2023)

Supervisors: Prof. Daren Caruana (UCL), Dr. Albertus Denny Handoko (IMRE, A*STAR, Singapore)
Application deadline: 15/04/2023
Interview date: TBC
Start date: 25 September 2023
Location: London (1.5 years), Singapore (2 years)Subject areas: Catalysts, Plasma Jet, Synthesis, Chemical modification

The Studentship

The project
The aim of the project will be the synthesis of, or modification of electrodes to create functional coatings. This is often a multistep process and involves deposition of organic component, for conductivity, adhesion and/or flexibility for internal stress management. Using plasma jet synthesis it is possible to print soft multi-materials in a single step with high adhesion onto conducting and non-conducting substrates, an essential process for many high value devices. Initially, commonly used polymers to influence wettability, electrical and thermal conductivity, flexibility etc. will be explored. Subsequently, soft printable materials important for targeted applications such as sensors, electrolyser or battery electrolytes/electrodes will be explored. Broadly, the training in plasma jet synthesis will be provided at UCL in the laboratory of Prof Caruana. Later, the testing of the electrochemical properties will be done in Singapore in the laboratory of Dr Handoko.

The Candidate
The applicants should have, or be expecting to achieve, a first or upper second-class integrated masters degree (MSci, MChem, etc.) or 2:1 minimum BSc plus stand-alone Masters degree with at least a Merit in Chemistry or materials science. The successful applicant will demonstrate strong interest and self-motivation in the subject, good experimental practice, and the ability to think analytically and creatively. Good computer skills, plus good presentation and writing skills in English, are required. Previous research experience in contributing to a collaborative interdisciplinary research environment is highly desirable but not necessary as training will be provided.
Interested candidates should initially contact the supervisors (Prof Daren Caruana (d.j.caruana@ucl.ac.uk) or Dr. Albertus Denny Handoko (adhandoko@imre.a-star.edu.sg)) with a degree transcript and a motivation letter expressing interest in the project. Informal inquiries are encouraged. Please note that a suitable applicant will first be required to complete MS Form entitled Application for Research: degree Chemistry programme. In addition, it is essential that suitable applicants complete an electronic application form at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/research-degrees/chemistry-mphil-phd (please select Research degree: Chemistry programme) prior to the application deadline and advise their referees to submit their references as soon as they possibly can. All shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview no more than 4 weeks after the application deadline. Any admissions queries should be directed to Dr Zhimei Du via z.du@ucl.ac.uk

A 3-Year PhD Studentship in Dimensional control of halide perovskites (D/L:15/04/2023)

Supervisors: Prof. Robert G. Palgrave (UCL), Dr. Xizu Wang (IMRE, A*STAR, Singapore)
Application deadline: 15/04/2023
Interview date: TBC (2 to 4 weeks after the application close date)
Start date: 25 September 2023
Location: London (1.5 years), Singapore (2 years)
Subject areas: Inorgaic materials chemistry, energy materials, materials synthesis, nanoparticle synthesis, halide perovskites

The studentship
This position is fully funded by the UCL-A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore) Collaborative Programme via the Centre for Doctoral Training in Molecular Modelling and Materials Science (M3S CDT) at UCL. The student will be registered for a PhD at UCL where he/she will spend year one followed by second and third years of the PhD at Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) of A*STAR in Singapore, then return to UCL for the final six months to write up the thesis. If successful, the PhD will be awarded from UCL. The studentship will cover tuition fees at the home rate, and an annual stipend of no less than £19668 increasingly annually with inflation (tax free) pro rata in years 1 and 4. During years 2 and 3, the student will receive a stipend of S$2700 per month directly from A*STAR. In addition, A*STAR will provide the student a one-off relocation allowance.

The project
The objective of the project is to synthesize and characterize novel metal halide perovskite (MHP) for energy harvesting applications via the use of dimensional control.
The dramatic growth of MHP perovskite research led by the success in solar cell has triggered much fundamental research on their properties and other possible applications. Controlling the dimensionality of MHPs to influence electronic, transport and optical properties is an emerging field. Dimensionality can be controlled either through crystal structure, for example by forming 3D networks, 2D layers, 1D chains or 0D clusters. Another route to control dimensionality is through particle size and shape. This can be influenced by surfactants and synthetic protocols to produce nanoparticles and quantum dots. Uniquely, we will combine both approaches, controlling crystallographic dimensionality and particle dimensionality, and in this way, we can gain new control over perovskite electronic structure and optics, which will enhance existing applications and make possible new ones. We will focus on lead free materials, for example MA3Bi2I9, FA2TeI6 (MA = methylammonium, FA=formamidinium) and related compounds which are less explored than the lead containing analogues.

The candidate
The applicants should have, or be expecting to achieve, a first or upper second-class integrated Masters degree (MSci, MChem, MEng etc.) or a 2:1 minimum BSc plus a stand-alone Masters degree with at least a Merit in Chemistry, Physics, Materials Science, or a related discipline. The successful applicant will demonstrate strong interest and self-motivation in the subject, good experimental practice and the ability to think analytically and creatively. Good computer skills, plus good presentation and writing skills in English, are required. Previous research experience in contributing to a collaborative interdisciplinary research environment is highly desirable but not necessary as training will be provided.
Interested candidates should initially contact the supervisors (Prof R.G. Palgrave, r.palgrave@ucl.ac.uk) with a CV, a degree transcript and a motivation letter expressing interest in the project. Informal inquiries are encouraged.

A 3-Year PhD Studentship in Zeolite based catalyst for ammonia decomposition for clean hydrogen, for low carbon fuel economy D/L:15/04/2023)

Supervisors: : Prof Gopinathan Sankar and Prof Andrew Beale (UCL) and Dr Gregory GOH and Dr Fuu Ming KAI (NMC, A*STAR, Singapore)
Application deadline: 15/04/2023
Interview date: TBC
Start date: 25 September 2023
Location: London (1.5 years), Singapore (2 years)
Subject areas: Catalysts, Synthesis, Chemical Metrology

The studentship
This position is fully funded by the UCL-A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore) Collaborative Programme via the Centre for Doctoral Training in Molecular Modelling and Materials Science (M3S CDT) at UCL. The student will be registered for a PhD at UCL where he/she will spend year one followed by second and third years of the PhD at National Metrology Centre (NMC) of A*STAR in Singapore, then return to UCL for the final six months to write up the thesis. If successful, the PhD will be awarded from UCL. The studentship will cover tuition fees at the home rate, and an annual stipend of no less than £19668 increasingly annually with inflation (tax free) pro rata in years 1 and 4. During years 2 and 3, the student will receive a stipend of S$2700 per month directly from A*STAR. In addition, A*STAR will provide the student a one-off relocation allowance.

The project
Catalyst development continues to be an important area for exploiting chemical transformations. Zero carbon and low carbon fuel production are becoming increasingly important to meet the demands for achieving net zero. However, both a fundamental understanding in conjunction with conceptual challenges regarding catalyst preparation, precise determination of the structure, the role of active sites, and host structure in catalytic performance is an area that needs a greater degree of understanding and further development. In addition, there is a need for access to state-of-the-art lab facilities to support the performance testing and validation. The aim of this proposal is to develop novel catalysts and a new integrated metrological testing system used in ammonia decomposition and to characterize them precisely to determine structure-function relationships in the area of low carbon fuel. Specifically, the project will focus on the development of zeolite-based catalysts and characterize them using in situ methods to understand the active site creation and reactivity of the active sites which will enable the understanding of the role of host structure and active sites in activity and selectivity of the product. The performance of the novel catalyst will be evaluated using multiple traceable reference gas mixtures with the metrological testing system.

The candidate
The applicants should have, or be expecting to achieve, a first or upper second-class integrated masters degree (MSci, MChem, etc.) or 2:1 minimum BSc plus stand-alone Masters degree with at least a Merit in Chemistry or materials science. The successful applicant will demonstrate strong interest and self-motivation in the subject, good experimental practice and the ability to think analytically and creatively. Good computer skills, plus good presentation and writing skills in English, are required. Previous research experience in contributing to a collaborative interdisciplinary research environment is highly desirable but not necessary as training will be provided.

Interested candidates should initially contact the UCL supervisors g.sankar@ucl.ac.uk and/or andrew.beale@ucl.ac.uk with a degree transcript and a motivation letter expressing interest in the project. Informal inquiries are encouraged. Please note that a suitable applicant will first be required to complete MS Form entitled Application for Research: degree Chemistry programme. In addition, it is essential that suitable applicants complete an electronic application form at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/graduate/research-degrees/chemistry-mphil-phd (please select Research degree: Chemistry programme) prior to the application deadline and advise their referees to submit their references as soon as they possibly can. All shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview no more than 4 weeks after the application deadline. Any admissions queries should be directed to Dr Zhimei Du via z.du@ucl.ac.uk

Applications are welcome from UK nationals, EU nationals with settled/pre-settled status and those with indefinite leave to remain or enter. Please note that the studentship only covers home fees. The updated rules for eligibility for home fees for next year are available on View Website.

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